


bunny's leap

by irwens



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid AU, bunny!irene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:35:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23590936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irwens/pseuds/irwens
Summary: seungwan takes in an abandoned bunny hybrid. this is a collection of their stories as they grow up together.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Comments: 5
Kudos: 75





	1. off-kilter

**Author's Note:**

> notice: chapters are not in the au's chronological order; they are written based on the prompts i am given.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> given prompt: in the first few weeks of bringing joohyun home, seungwan has to step out real quick to run an errand while joohyun was sleeping. when she wakes up to an empty house, she hesitantly tries to explore her surroundings, becoming a little more brave with each step bc she has the house to herself. When she spots something that piques her interest, she gets excited, but in her excitement she actually knocks something over and breaks it. Seungwan comes home to a broken item with joohyun nowhere to be seen. When she finds her, joohyun is anxious af. Seungwan is patient and joohyun eventually (but timidly) goes to seungwan and nudges her forehead against Seungwan’s bc this is how bunnies apologize to each other. She doesn’t say a word, her tears are enough for seungwan to understand
> 
> trigger warning: mentions of blood, but not explicit.

when joohyun wakes up, the first thing she becomes aware of is that she’s alone.

cold fear washes over her for a few heavy seconds as she stiffens up in anxiety, but the tension slowly leaves her body once she begins to take notice of her surroundings.

for one, the tv in her room is on and playing at a low volume when she knows it hadn’t been when she’d dozed off. and the blankets she’d gone to bed with tucked loosely over herself are now swaddling her up warmly. 

it makes it a little difficult for joohyun to completely disentangle herself from the blankets wrapped around her, even with her small frame wriggling around. she eventually gives up, instead sitting up from the bed with a small, sleepy huff. 

her eyes immediately land on a familiar stuffed animal squirrel perched on her nightstand, and the sight makes her smile for the first time since waking. that definitely hadn’t been there when she’d gone to sleep. it makes it obvious who placed it there.

there’s a sheet of paper in the squirrel’s arms with a picture of something. joohyun has to lean back in order for the image to become less blurry for her, but once she does, she sees that it’s a very neatly done sketch of the telephone in the living room. a red circle is drawn around one of the buttons. 

slowly, joohyun crawls out of bed, dragging along with her one of the blankets still wrapped around her frame. she takes the paper and the squirrel with her too, hugging the latter to her chest and absentmindedly nosing into its fur, breathing in its soothingly familiar scent as she carefully steps out of her room.

the wooden floors for once feel cold beneath her feet, and joohyun’s ears twitch from under the blanket at how silent the hallway is. she darts her eyes over the rest of the doors near her, notes how they’re all closed. her grip on the stuffed animal tightens.

slowly, hesitantly, joohyun pads down the hallway. the house is eerily silent save for the sounds of her footsteps echoing against the floor. 

emerging into the living room, joohyun sighs quietly in relief; the open space is much more preferable, much more homely and inviting even when devoid of people. when she glances toward the corner of the room, the corner of her lips twitch upward upon spotting yet another familiar stuffed animal seated next to the telephone.

there is also a piece of paper in the toy bunny’s arms: a simple, red arrow points down at the same button the first paper has circled. joohyun adds both items to her armload of papers and stuffed animals, nose buried in the bunny’s pelt, before tentatively pressing down on it.

a few beeps from the telephone cause her to startle back a step, but then suddenly a voice is speaking up, and joohyun’s ears perk up in instant recognition. 

“hey, hyunnie, this is wannie speaking! if you’re hearing this message it probably means you woke up and followed all the clues into the living room. sorry about that if i scared you, by the way! i just didn’t know how else to tell you this without waking you up. i didn’t want to leave a note either since i wasn’t sure it would be easy to read. 

“did you have a nice nap, hyun? you were sleeping so peacefully, i hope you were dreaming about something good. did you know your nose twitches in your sleep? it’s really cute to see, hyunnie.”

at this, joohyun feels her cheeks pinkening. she buries her face further into the stuffed animals in her arms.

“okay, i’m getting too sidetracked. i think you might have noticed already, but mom and dad aren’t home right now, so you’re the only one left in the house at the moment. i had to leave to go buy some stuff for dinner since mom texted me saying she forgot a few things.

“i don’t know what she’s planning on making, but i’m gonna buy some tteokbokki for her to make as an apology for having us all leave you alone at home. but you can get something from the kitchen if you’re hungry, hyunnie. and you know how to call any of us if there’s an emergency. 

“i think that’s it. i swear i’ll be back soon, okay? i left around two o’clock, i should be back in about an hour. just sit tight for now. i’ll be home in a bit, hyun.”

the message ends with a click, leaving joohyun standing in the silence of the living room. for a few moments she doesn’t move, breathing absentmindedly into the toy bunny’s fur. her own ears twitch atop her head, peeking out from beneath her blanket and listening for any telltale signs of life in the house. but there’s nothing. she truly is alone. 

a weird sort of tingling excitement shoots through her, prickling the tips of her fingers and toes. on the balls of her feet, she slowly swivels around in a circle, taking in her surroundings once again. 

the thing is, it’s only been a few weeks since seungwan brought her home here. even as the house has become completely familiar to her, there’s an entirely different feeling in the walls now that there is no one else around. she’s a little scared, but her curiosity to explore is quickly overpowering that. 

besides, she thinks, clutching the bunny and squirrel closer to her. she’s not actually that alone after all. 

with a little gleeful hop in her step, joohyun begins to pad deeper into the house.

—

the front door swings open as seungwan steps inside, bags of groceries gripped in one hand. “hyun, i’m home,” seungwan sings, toeing her shoes off in the doorway. its only after she’s tucked them neatly in the shoe rack and locked the door behind her that she realizes the house is dead silent, and there is no bunny hybrid in sight.

a concerned frown adorns seungwan’s face, but she moves into the kitchen to sort the groceries into the fridge. “maybe she’s still asleep,” seungwan mumbles to herself. 

once she’s finished, seungwan steps back into the living room, only to freeze once she spots the mess of broken shards scattered across the floor. she immediately recognizes them as the remains of one of her mom’s prized statues she’d brought back from one of her travels. was it of an elephant? seungwan can’t remember, there’s honestly too many. 

her rambling thoughts come to a screeching halt though, once she spots the drops of blood amidst the mess. 

“shit,” seungwan hisses in alarm, immediately surging into motion. “joohyun? joohyun!” 

panic overtakes her for a few seconds as seungwan calls loudly into the hallways for the missing hybrid, worry climbing in her stomach and causing her insides to twist in fear. her heart hammers loudly in her chest, and her ears roar with a whistling noise.

“joohyun!” seungwan calls again, before she’s cut off by a yelp of surprise as she nearly trips. when she looks down, the blank marble eyes of a stuffed bunny gaze back up at her from the ground. a dark smear of red stains its faux white fur. 

all at once, seungwan shudders to a stop, pressing her palms against her thighs to still their trembling. she hadn’t been thinking. she’d forgotten. seungwan swears under her breath, breathing in and out for a few seconds before collecting herself together. 

“hyunnie?” seungwan murmurs in a quieter voice as she steps into the hallway. she doesn’t miss the few drops of red scattered across the floorboards, and it makes her swallow heavily with apprehension. “hyun, it’s wannie. i’m sorry for yelling, and i’m sorry if i scared you. i was panicked, since i’m worried. i swear i’m not mad.” 

some of the doors are open, leading seungwan to venture joohyun must have been exploring on her own while she’d been gone. she takes a peek into each room regardless, door shut or not. but there’s no sign of joohyun in any of them.

the panic she’s been trying to suppress rises with every empty room she comes across, and it’s after checking joohyun’s room to see no signs of life save for the tv still murmuring at low volume that seungwan finds it harder to breathe. 

almost resignedly, seungwan clicks open the door of her own room. “hyun?” she mumbles, voice cracking hopelessly, but then falls silent upon looking at her bed, neatly made and untouched. 

quietly, seungwan steps further into the room. the soft thump of her feet against the floorboards is the only sound as she moves closer, but the air crackles with anticipation. seungwan holds her breath. 

when she rounds the edge of her bed, her eyes automatically land on the bundle of purple-spotted blanket, hunched near her nightstand. 

seungwan lets out a smalls exhale, crouching down nearby. “hyunnie,” she whispers softly, seeing the head of the blanket twitch. “it’s okay, i’m not mad.”

for a moment, everything is still, and seungwan bites her lip nervously. but then she hears a quiet sniffle, before the blanket begins to tremble. 

seungwan’s heart breaks. 

“hyun,” she coaxes again, voice low and gentle. “hyun, i’m right here. it’s okay, baby.” 

slowly, tentatively, the edge of the blanket lifts, and seungwan comes face to face with joohyun’s teary face, her bunny ears drooped and her nose running messily. upon meeting seungwan’s eyes, she begins to cry even harder.

“oh, hyunnie,” seungwan whispers, moving forward to carefully pull joohyun into her arms. joohyun lets out a choked sob but offers no resistance, trembling against seungwan with her face tucked into the side of her neck. seungwan sits down completely, quietly rocking the little bundle in her lap and murmuring soft reassurances, letting joohyun cry it out.

“i’m so sorry for yelling, hyun, i didn’t mean to scare you,” seungwan says softly, rubbing joohyun’s back through the blanket. she hears joohyun hiccup wetly over her shoulder, struggling to breathe, and she reaches a hand up to begin gently rubbing the base of joohyun’s bunny ears where they meet her head. the action immediately causes joohyun to shudder from sensitivity and exhale shakily, slumping bonelessly against seungwan’s chest. 

with each light stroke to joohyun’s delicate ears, a wheezing, stuttered gasp leaves her; seungwan doesn’t stop though, and gradually her breathing begins to calm, body tremors lessening. she can feel the little white hairs beneath her fingers quiver at every touch, joohyun’s ears twitching and so visibly responsive, drooping pliantly under her hand. 

“that’s it, hyunnie, just relax,” seungwan murmurs gently, soothingly, as joohyun shudders and sighs helplessly into her shoulder, hiccuping every few breaths. “i’ve got you, baby, you’re okay.” 

she continues rubbing around the base of joohyun’s ears, occasionally scratching lightly at her head, until joohyun begins to emit a noise between a squeak and a purr, and that’s when seungwan knows she’s reached the state of peak calmness, her frazzled mind now fuzzy with pure sensation. seungwan smiles for the first time since she’s arrived home, relieved.

carefully leaning back, she eases joohyun away from her chest to take a look at her face. her hand falls from joohyun’s ears to cradle her jaw, gently stroking over the tear tracks on her cheek. joohyun’s eyes, half-lidded and glazed over, stare tiredly back at her. 

seungwan gives a small, comforting smile, leaning forward until her nose bumps against joohyun’s. a moment later she feels the hybrid nuzzling back with a breathy sigh, her eyes slipping shut.

when seungwan finally pulls away, joohyun reluctantly following, she moves her gaze down to where joohyun’s hands clutch loosely at the hem of her shirt. there’s dried blood splotched along her fingers as well as her clothes, particularly darker patches of red staining the blanket where joohyun must have clutched onto. 

seungwan sucks in a quiet breath, tenderly cradling joohyun’s hands in her own. there are cuts along the pads of her fingers, some blood still oozing out of them. “you tried to clean them up,” she whispers in realization, her chest twisting painfully. “oh, hyun.” 

joohyun whimpers nervously in response, and seungwan traces her thumb behind the shell of her human ear, cooing softly until her nerves settle down again. gently, seungwan maneuvers the hybrid around in her lap as she continues to inspect joohyun for further injuries. she finds a few cuts along her knees and ankles, which makes her heart ache at the thought of joohyun dragging herself through the house while bleeding and injured. 

seungwan reaches over to her nightstand to grab a few tissues. “lets get you cleaned up, okay?” she murmurs, dabbing at joohyun’s cheeks. joohyun only nods against her hand, meekly avoiding her gaze. 

she’ll have to do something about that later, seungwan thinks absentmindedly with a frown, seeing the way joohyun keeps ducking her head away. but right now she has to focus on treating those wounds. 

“i’m gonna have to pick you up, hyun,” seungwan says apologetically as she cradles joohyun to her chest, still partly bundled up in her blanket. the hybrid reaches for her shirt before quickly yanking her hands back with a small whimper, clutching onto her blanket instead. seungwan gives her a concerned, tender look. “i don’t mind, hyunnie. the bloodstains don’t matter.” 

with one arm supporting joohyun’s back and the other beneath her knees, seungwan carefully gets to her feet, and joohyun reflexively grabs onto her with a squeak of fear. seungwan hums soothingly, taking care to move with slow steps as she carries them to the door.

“does it hurt?” seungwan asks quietly as she pads down the hallway. she feels joohyun shake her head against her chest, and seungwan tightens her grip with a little, wry quirk of her lips. “liar.”

joohyun only responds with a breathy noise. 

when they reach the restroom, seungwan carefully sets joohyun down on the counter, brushing the hair back from her face with a soft smile. “i know you don’t like voicing your pain,” seungwan says understandingly, “but it’s okay if it hurts, all right?” 

joohyun looks back up at her, quiet and seemingly resigned. eventually her gaze shifts to the side with a little nod. seungwan leans in to press a light kiss against her nose. “lets do your legs first.”

she washes her hands, then helps joohyun run her ankles and knees beneath lukewarm water from the sink. joohyun doesn’t make a noise the entire time, but seungwan is pressed close enough against her back to feel her stiffen, hear her breath catching in her throat when seungwan rinses her wounds with soap. 

“it stings, baby, i know,” seungwan murmurs against her temple. joohyun doesn’t show any indication to having heard her.

seungwan finally turns the tap off, grabbing a nearby towel to dab at the cuts as they begin to ooze blood again. she feels joohyun lean her head against her shoulder, nosing along the crook of her neck and breathing quietly against her as she presses down on each injury to stop the bleeding. 

petroleum jelly follows after, applied carefully with a cotton swab, and then seungwan covers the wounds up with bandaids. she considered using purple ones, but then thought against it and just picked out the plain ones.

“done,” seungwan breathes as she straightens her back, rubbing joohyun’s shoulder soothingly. “fingers next. you’re okay, hyunnie?” 

she feels joohyun nod against her neck, but when seungwan tries to pull away to look at her, the hybrid follows her movements to stick close to her. 

seungwan sighs fondly, giving joohyun a light scratch behind the ear. “all right then.”

the whole process repeats for joohyun’s hands, and seungwan remains just as attentive and careful, but she’s realizing something is different when a muffled noise manages to escape from where joohyun’s face is buried against her. the cuts on joohyun’s fingers are deeper, more serious, seungwan knows. she tries to move a little faster.

its just after seungwan finishes washing joohyun’s fingers that she feels wetness against neck, making seungwan still with the towel in her hand. “it’s okay, baby,” she murmurs gently, hugging joohyun closer with her other arm. “i know. let it out, it’s okay.”

joohyun sniffles quietly against her neck, nosing along her skin as seungwan carefully dries her fingers. there’s a small hiss when seungwan has to squeeze her thumb when the cut there bleeds more than the others, and seungwan presses a soothing kiss to the top of joohyun’s head, conveying in it all the sympathy that she can. 

when seungwan is finished, there are bandaids taped around almost all of joohyun’s fingertips. she breathes a sigh of relief before clutching joohyun’s shoulders and gently pushing. reluctantly, joohyun moves back.

there are tears wetting her cheeks again, of course, but seungwan only smiles softly, doesn’t comment as she grabs a nearby tissue to wipe them away. “my hyun,” seungwan coos. “so strong.”

joohyun closes her eyes, a few more tears slipping out as she exhales shakily. seungwan is about to bend away to get another tissue when joohyun leans forward so that her forehead touches seungwan’s. immediately, seungwan stills. 

for a few breaths of silence, the two of them remain pressed against one another, seungwan standing between joohyun’s knees. her eyes are open, gazing with gentle understanding at joohyun’s closed ones, watching another tear slide down her cheek as her lips quiver almost imperceptibly. 

“it’s okay,” seungwan murmurs softly, tucking a stray hair behind joohyun’s ear. “there’s nothing to forgive, darling. accidents happen.”

when joohyun finally pulls away, she won’t meet her eyes. instead, she clutches at seungwan’s hands, neatly bandaged fingertips brushing against her own. “thank you,” she whispers hoarsely, voice scratchy and raw.

seungwan pulls joohyun into her arms again, pressing a light kiss to the side of her head. her heart feels warm, content, at ease. “of course, hyunnie.”


	2. outline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> general description of joohyun and her relation to seungwan. written in headcanon format.

**physical description**

  * joohyun’s breed: netherland dwarf rabbit



  * fur: white

  * eyes: brown

  * the netherland dwarf rabbit is the smallest breed of domesticated rabbit

  * what makes them special: their small size, cute, upright ears, and funny jumps and personality; an overall very charming breed

  * aside from her bunny ears and tail, the rest of joohyun’s body appears physically human.

  * joohyun’s size is actually a little smaller than average for bunny hybrids of her breed.

  * her ears are bigger than usual though, and her left bunny ear also sticks out a little more than her right in the same way her human left ear does.




—

**background**

  * joohyun and seungwan meet when joohyun is 15, seungwan 18.

  * joohyun has the same lifespan as a human, but sexual maturity is a bit different. while joohyun’s human body develops at the same time as the average female human, her rabbit traits cause her to develop sexual maturity differently. so she sort of experiences puberty twice.

  * this means that when joohyun meets seungwan, she’s still technically a baby.

  * as they grow up together, joohyun starts experiencing her hybrid puberty around age 18. she reaches sexual maturity around age 22, when seungwan is 25.




—

**joohyun’s eyesight**

  * in the same way bunnies are, joohyun as a bunny hybrid is farsighted, meaning she can see farther than humans, but things up close are blurry to her.

  * so at the same time as she’s more scared of things that are too close up (because they might never be what they should be), she might also be a little more startled by an airplane flying overhead than a human typically would be because she can see it clearer.

  * she has a blind spot near the front of her face, directly in front of her—but it’s not exactly a blind spot. she can actually see, it’s just incredibly blurry.

  * this isn’t overly concerning though, it’s blurry vision in the same way it might be bad eyesight for a nearsighted human, so if joohyun wears glasses it totally cures the problem. she wears them when reading or just around on a daily basis.

  * when joohyun cocks her head and looks sideways, it’s like an instinctive way for her to look straight at someone with clearest vision. 

  * joohyun’s eyes form a grainy/blurry vision of things close up to her; she relies on this image as well as the sound of seungwan’s voice, body movements and scent as her cues to recognize her.

  * but if seungwan is like, carrying a really big box or something, it sometimes might distort the image joohyun sees and she won’t be able to recognize seungwan for a moment, which can scare her.

  * joohyun can see in the dark better than humans, but the quality is pretty low resolution. grainy.

  * she has limited color vision, green and blue limited; joohyun is red-blind (called protanopia), so she can’t distinguish differences in red, orange, and yellow, and blue and purple look awfully similar to her.




—

**personality**

  * joohyun is skittish and jumpy and likes to hide in the different nooks and crannies of seungwan’s house.

  * she’s very inquisitive and explorative despite her initially shy, nervous nature.

  * she’s easily startled and sensitive. yet she’s also very intelligent, social, sometimes bratty and willful, and when in a mood can be a bit grumpy and destructive.

  * dwarf rabbits are stereotyped to be hyper and mean, and that’s how some people might initially perceive joohyun to be like. but joohyun is actually super affectionate, like how some dwarf rabbits actually turn out to be.




—

**traits, habits**

  * joohyun is a clingier bunny hybrid than others.

  * her health is a little fragile because joohyun gets allergies and falls sick pretty easily.

  * joohyun really loves chewing on things, so seungwan gets her stim toys or chewable sensory objects. but sometimes joohyun just likes to absentmindedly chew on seungwan’s shoulder when she’s seated in her lap. or just mouth at some other part of her, like her arm or her fingers. it’s to keep her teeth in good condition by providing appropriate wear on her teeth. and she just likes the feeling.

  * seungwan has to remind her not to chew on her nails. 

  * joohyun grooms herself a lot, keeping her hair and her skin in good condition. she’s very meticulous about this. bunnies don’t need showers but joohyun is a hybrid so she grooms and takes baths with like maybe a half-filled or less tub of water. 

  * she nose bumps into seungwan as a greeting, nips at her to demand to be put down, and adamantly thumps her foot when she wants attention or is scared of something and wants seungwan to do something about it.

  * she’s basically so quiet that sometimes she forgets to use her words, forgets she can even talk, and so she ends up trying to demand things in other ways, like tugging or nudging or stomping or nipping and seungwan doesn’t mind, she understands what joohyun tries to say most of the time.

  * but she has to gently remind joohyun to speak up sometimes, to be a little more vocal about her needs, because in the real world other people won’t always be able to understand her, and seungwan worries.

  * rabbits often show few outward signs of distress when they are ill or in pain, so joohyun’s personality naturally follows this. seungwan has to be really attentive to know if she’s ill or uncomfortable; the tells can always be the most subtle things easily missed, like when joohyun is hiding in an unusual spot, or sitting hunched over, or refusing to eat something.

  * joohyun does all their laundry. she doesn’t let seungwan touch any of it. the washing machine is hers.

  * joohyun can get sensitivity overload very easily, so she’s definitely not okay with crowds. not just because there’s so many people, but also because it’s so very loud. seungwan helps buy her noise cancelling headphones or ear defenders to help mute the sound.

  * she’ll pull a cap over her head with her bunny ears tucked underneath them and then put the headphones on to cover her human ears, meaning a lot of surrounding noise is muffled. it’s a little itchy and uncomfortable for her bunny ears if she wears a hat like that for so long, but she endures it because crowds really suck.

  * joohyun chewing is ridiculously endearing to seungwan because she takes small nibbles and eats pretty slowly to get through food. and she makes this quiet chewing sound that could absolutely be asmr-worthy content. sometimes seungwan just watches her eat with a silly smile on her face until joohyun blushes and, like, flicks her nose. 

  * if seungwan can’t immediately find joohyun when she arrives home, it’s likely because joohyun is hiding out in some part of the house, which she really likes to do. there’s just something very comforting to her, especially as a bunny hybrid, about tunnelling into these hidden spots and camping out there for a while. curled up and tucked away while reading a book or doodling to pass the time.

  * that also means joohyun likes to build these small blanket nests, and with a house as spacious as seungwan’s, there are so many opportunities for where she can assemble them. she gathers all the blankets and pillows they own, from her yellow chick blanket to the purple polka dotted one she likes to sleep with. throws in some of seungwan’s hoodies and her own stash of clothes, both worn and fresh out out of the laundry.

  * and then she goes about setting it all up in a certain corner where she’ll burrow into and settle there for the next few hours, maybe take a nap too while she’s at it.

  * joohyun is very graceful and balanced when moving quickly, dancing, or hopping, but when she’s like moving at a normal or slow pace she can be really clumsy, which seungwan finds absolutely hilarious. joohyun bumps into things a lot, even when she has glasses on so she can see close up. 

  * one time seungwan sees her walk into a wall trying to go to the restroom and (after making sure joohyun is okay) she just crumples to the floor laughing and joohyun’s face reddens as she grumpily shuts the door in her face.




—

**likes/dislikes**

  * joohyun doesn’t like to be picked up but does enjoy curling up in seungwans lap. but only when she’s on the floor or the couch, somewhere close to the ground, because joohyun doesn’t like being raised too high up. she likes being able to feel the ground beneath her feet.

  * she also really likes tummy and side and back rubs and sometimes just splays out along seungwans lap, stretching and silently demanding scratches from a very charmed and amused seungwan.

  * joohyun is scared of heights. (surprise surprise)

  * she is a bit scared of the dark so she sleeps with nightlights.

  * joohyun likes to have the tv on with the volume muted when she’s sleeping by herself to know she isn’t alone.

  * joohyun loves, loves, loves soft chewy slow cooked foods and vegetables. their household is really big on fruits and veggies because seungwan likes them and they’re part of joohyun’s diet, so everyone’s happy.

  * tteokbokki is still joohyun’s favourite food on the planet, especially because it’s ridiculously chewy and gummy. this is similar to the way hay is a staple of a rabbit’s diet because it stimulates normal chewing habits and appropriate wear on the teeth.

  * joohyun also really loves brushing her teeth and keeping them clean to the point where seungwan has to stop her from overdoing it. dentists are a whole other story though. she is not a happy camper when she has to go.

  * joohyun likes gardens, greenery, and nature. she can get very easily lost in a garden and lose track of time. (she can actually get very easily lost in general, to be entirely honest.)

  * at the same time as joohyun likes to be lazy and nap a lot, being a general stay-at-home person, she’s very hyperactive and loves to exercise, hopping around and running and dancing and it’s all so, so endearing to seungwan.

  * joohyun also likes to roll around a lot or lay on the floor in the middle of the room. sometimes she’s napping and sometimes she’s just lying there. seungwan doesn’t always know. joohyun takes like seven naps a day, just lies down in the middle of the floor on her side and dozes off. or in seungwan’s bed. or in her own room.

  * if she’s disturbed she will start kicking though. and her kicks are really, really hard.




—

**hobbies**

  * joohyun loves reading books, articles, practically anything informational she can learn from. and she likes watching documentaries as well as video essays. they don’t always have to be serious content either, she just likes learning about everything, small and big. it’s what she usually spends her time doing if she isn’t exercising or napping. 

  * she keeps a diary and she takes a lot of photos. 

  * joohyun eventually works as a choreographer working behind the scenes, so there’s not as much need for interaction with others. she can instead focus on choreographing dances and perfecting them for other people to perform.

  * that doesn’t mean joohyun doesn’t like to perform though. she sometimes will, though usually with a cap covering her ears and hiding her tail so she doesn’t draw attention to them.

  * joohyun is . . . extraordinarily talented. her footwork, grace, and balance comes naturally to her from being a bunny hybrid. her flexibility from her own hobbies as a child. and her hard work and perseverance to hone all these skills from her own personality. she is an excellent dancer because she loves dancing and so pours all of her effort and some more into it.

  * she also probably at one point tries out hurdling or high jumping (and then has the time of her life. joohyun and sports involving jumps get along like a house on fire).




—

**relationship dynamics with seungwan**

  * when they first met, seungwan would often sit down on the floor a distance away and wait patiently, quietly for joohyun to approach. she resists the urge to touch her, doesn’t make any sudden movements, instead lets joohyun sniff her, circle her, hop on her, and familiarize herself with seungwan’s scent.

  * touch comes gradually; seungwan at first extends a hand or finger for joohyun to smell as a polite overture.

  * eventually joohyun lets her gently rub her forehead, ears, and temples (especially the areas right below her bunny ears), which are her favorite bunny scritchy spots. she also completely does not mind having seungwan’s fingers card through her hair.

  * joohyun is shy and doesn’t like to be touched by strangers. for people she does know, she’s more likely to allow touches to her head than rubs to her back or any other area where she can’t keep an eye on.

  * never chase her. joohyun will get terrified and anxious and hurt herself trying to run away.

  * joohyun likes to wake seungwan up by nuzzling into her face (she really enjoys nose touching/nuzzling with seungwan) or light nipping at her nose or mouth. sometimes if she’s in a mood she’ll stick her butt in seungwans face though, or like crawl all over her and seungwan wakes up to a foot in her face.

  * even more common than kisses, joohyun and seungwan do a lot of nose rubbing or nuzzling—eskimo kisses, basically. 

  * when seungwan starts to ramble a lot, joohyun will nuzzle into her chest to hear the vibrations from her voice, and she, like, quietly purrs because it’s a really nice feeling. it also usually slows seungwan down at the same time as makes her aware of her volume and lowers it.

  * and when she’s being too loud and joohyun doesn’t have patience she just nips at her ear until seungwan yelps and quiets down.

  * once joohyun is in a grooming mood, she’ll start grooming herself and then sometimes drag seungwan close to groom her too, even as she protests weakly.

  * when seungwan sets up a room for joohyun, she gets a mattress that’s low to the ground so joohyun is more comfortable sleeping closer to the floor. even though joohyun spends half her naps curled up on the floor of any room. seungwan has no idea how it’s comfortable, but it apparently is to joohyun.

  * joohyun’s area is called the joohyun zone. designated as such by her.

  * joohyun’s identifier is a very simple, thin, purple bracelet around her wrist. joohyun can’t really tell the difference between blue and purple so she claims every shade of blue is purple. especially any shade of purple that matches her bracelet. seungwan just goes along with it.

  * at one point joohyun gets seungwan a matching bracelet that identifies her as joohyun’s companion, and she says this is in a purple color, but it’s actually in blue; joohyun can’t tell the difference. but seungwan loves it anyways and immediately begins to wear it.

  * also wanted to mention somewhere that seungwan definitely helps provide joohyun get some form of schooling or education, whether it’s through a small private academy specifically built for hybrids or through tutoring at home. 

  * seungwan in general is very patient with joohyun and lets her learn and grow on her own, only gently intervening when it’s necessary; she knows joohyun is still technically a baby and has been sheltered from many things, so it’s important to let her walk on her own sometimes.




—

**puberty**

  * so normally, having a bunny spayed or neutered is actually a good thing for them most of the time. i genuinely have no idea how this would work in the hybrid world. a hysterectomy?

  * when joohyun starts experiencing her hybrid puberty, she starts developing a lot of habits based on her mood. when she’s playful she’ll like hum or sing a little, circling seungwan and brushing up against her and nosing into her shoulder, just being very needy and cuddly while following her around incessantly, and seungwan is really amused and yet so, so soft for her.

  * but sometimes when she gets angry or upset or grumpy, she’ll mount or hump random things in the house or seungwan’s unsuspecting head—or her shoes or her leg or her poor other limbs.

  * when she doesn’t want to interact with others she’ll growl and box (arms aggressively swinging forward to whack people who come too close), and seungwan knows to keep away and give her some space.

  * also sometimes she can get really territorial, not just over her own things but seungwan sometimes too, and she’ll swing or push at other people that try and get close to seungwan. it may or may not involve aggressive or possessive lunging.

  * sometimes she does it to seungwan too though, nipping and biting at her angrily, and seungwan just lets her because she knows joohyun can’t help it, she’s still a growing baby, and she doesn’t mean it. joohyun is always really apologetic later on once she’s cleared her head.

  * bunnies usually tend toward destructive chewing and digging, but as a hybrid joohyun ends up like disorganizing all the laundry and seungwan’s and her clothes, knocking over other things in the house, generally just making a mess of everything because she’s restless and wants to find something that smells good. when seungwan comes back to the mess she just eyeballs joohyun, and her ears droop as she goes to clean it all up. (seungwan gives in and helps her.)

  * bunnies usually mount each other when their sex drive is going high and/or as a sign of social dominance. so joohyun will, like, mount seungwan and straddle her stomach or her back a lot, and seungwan just groans but lets her. joohyun likes to do it to be near seungwan and her body warmth, and because she’s just very clingy and affectionate in general, though it’s probably also out of some inborn need to establish some form of social communication.

  * when joohyun begins to unconsciously rock against her though, that’s when things start getting out of hand.

  * joohyun won’t admit it but she secretly really likes (almost prefers it) when seungwan does it back and like, gently pins her down, and then joohyun kicks her legs and squirms around a bit, squeaking; but then eventually she settles down and meekly noses against her, flushed and quiet. 

  * seungwan totally knows, though. and she knows that it’s all playful banter and joohyun does it because she likes the struggle, likes the feeling of seungwan’s body pressing down onto her, and that it isn’t actually serious, so she just patiently waits for joohyun to quiet down and then nuzzle into her.

  * when joohyun is still a baby, she talks very little and sleeps a lot; she’s really quiet and communicates almost nonverbally. but once she reaches sexual maturity, she talks more and becomes more vocal about her demands.

  * so she doesn’t do much when she’s younger, mostly spending her days indoors where she is familiar with her surroundings. she’s too shy or nervous to try new things even with seungwan’s gentle encouragement, and she clings to seungwan a lot more. she’s understandably anxious around other humans, even other hybrids, just anyone unfamiliar in general.

  * it’s sad to see because seungwan knows why she’s like this, and because she knows bunnies and bunny hybrids are social creatures—and that joohyun is missing out.

  * but once joohyun enters puberty, she begins to tentatively participate in more activities and engage more with the world, slowly coming out of her shell. she still is shy and quiet in nature, but it’s less out of pure anxiety and more just because that’s her personality, being reserved. in the end she comes out more assertive, more mature. 




— 

**titles**

  * joohyun’s first owner had joohyun refer to her as “master” (which says so much about their relationship, huh) and so joohyun accepted this as the norm for relationships between hybrids and their human owners. 

  * but when seungwan eventually takes her in, seungwan is absolutely revolted the first time joohyun tries to call her that, and her stomach almost feels sick. she quickly and gently corrects joohyun and encourages her to consider seungwan as her equal, her companion rather than her owner, which means just referring to seungwan by her name.

  * and joohyun is naturally a little off put and hesitant about this, but she’s still really little so things are still malleable for her, and she eventually gets the hang of it. besides, being able to call seungwan by her name makes joohyun feel so much closer to her. “master” is a term joohyun never uses again.

  * but as joohyun grows older, during the years after she’s entered her hybrid puberty, she meets other hybrids and their companions and notices that some of them refer to one another as “unnie” or other honorifics. she’s aware of what they mean, has even seen seungwan refer to her older sister as that. yet she wonders why seungwan never brought it up to her.

  * so joohyun brings it up. one day when seungwan is seated at the dining table scrolling through her phone and joohyun is splayed out in the living room reading a book, she just goes, “seungwan-unnie?” and then seungwan chokes on her spit and starts spluttering for a few minutes. joohyun whacks her back a few times to get her human properly working again.

  * when they talk about it, seungwan confesses that she wanted joohyun to just experience being able to refer to people by their name without any boundaries of age or status in the way. to for once have a normal relationship where she can talk to someone on an equal grounding. she had never expected for joohyun to call her anything except her name. and she hopes that joohyun can continue to do that, to be able to remember and remind herself that she is equal to seungwan.

  * so joohyun does.

  * but she’s also learned another very big joohyun-related weakness of seungwan’s, because whenever she really wants something or just feels like playfully flustering her, joohyun just calls “unnie” and she has seungwan weak at the knees for her.





	3. downpour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: Could you please write Seungwan taking care of sick Hybrid bunny Joohyun? Joohyun was startled by something so she ran outside blindly into the rain and it took some time for Seungwan to find her. By that time Joohyun was very feverish and weak. Hybrid bunny joohyun is so soft and adorable:)

seungwan had set joohyun up in the living room, curled up in a bundle of blankets with a documentary playing on the tv. although she had sat with joohyun for a bit of the film, hand absentmindedly rubbing her temples as joohyun snuffled and sighed against her shoulder, eventually she’s called away to assist mr. son in the garage. 

after giving her a soft kiss on the forehead, seungwan gets up to go, leaving joohyun alone in the warmth of the living room. it’s late in the evening with rain pouring down outside, contributing to a cozier atmosphere as joohyun snuggles deeper into the blankets wrapped around her. on the tv, blackspotted sweetlips swim across the screen as the narrator describes their living habitats.

all is well, until it isn’t.

seungwan and her dad are searching for a new lightbulb in the garage when there’s a muffled boom that comes from inside the house. startled, seungwan stumbles and nearly loses balance on the ladder step, though her dad quickly props her back up in time. “what was that?” she asks, alarmed, but he can only murmur in equal confusion as he helps her to the ground.

a few moments later, the fire alarm begins to blare loudly. the both of them exchange worried glances before rushing toward the living room.

smoke from the kitchen and the ear-splitting noise of the alarm greet her as seungwan arrives, but the sight that causes her the most horror is the empty couch and the wide open front door, the thunder of rain crashing down onto the front porch. “joohyun,” she whispers in terror, before her dad is pushing her forward. 

“she couldn’t have gone far, take an umbrella and go find her,” he yells over the alarm. “i’ll take care of the kitchen.” a series of coughs overtake him then, but he pulls his shirt up to his nose before hurrying toward the source of the smoke.

seungwan watches him go, heart pounding against her ribcage, before grabbing her rain jacket off the coat rack and one of the umbrellas by the door. her hands are shaking as she ties the laces on her sneakers, but she only grits her teeth as she stands, moving outside. 

rainfall pounds down onto her umbrella upon stepping out from beneath the porch. seungwan peers up and down the street through the curtain of rain, anxiously wondering in which direction joohyun could have run off in. eventually, she begins trekking leftward, moving as quickly as she can while taking care not to slip. it’s in the direction of the center of town, which joohyun has been to on a few occasions; seungwan is hoping that even in her panicked state of mind, joohyun had chosen the path most familiar to her.

as she slogs through the downpour, carefully sidestepping puddles as she goes, seungwan cups her mouth and calls for the hybrid, gaze swiveling left and right in search of her. she tries to push it down, but the fear climbs in her stomach and slowly squeezes her chest with each increasing step, seeping in like the cold of the rain. 

she could have already passed joohyun. she could have gone in the opposite direction. she could still be on the run, growing farther away from seungwan with every passing second.

gradually, the suburban houses along the street begin to shift into convenience stores and shops leading toward the heart of town. biting her lip, seungwan continues forward, glancing into each dark alley she comes across before continuing on. her hope is beginning to dwindle, and she’s about to consider turning back, when out of the corner of her eye she catches a streak of white in the far back corner. 

she comes to a halt, heart in her throat; moving slowly, seungwan steps beneath the alleyway overhang. at the sight before her, a shaky, anxiety-wrought exhale drags its way out of her lungs. 

joohyun. crouched beneath cover, hands wrapped around her knees, bunny ears slumped lifelessly over her head. thoroughly soaked and trembling uncontrollably.

seungwan places her umbrella down and slowly kneels before her, a tear trailing down her cheek as she attempts to still the tremors in her hands. “hyun,” she whispers softly. 

joohyun seems to freeze up for a second, before the shivering returns in full force. she shrinks in upon herself, the ears atop her head cowering in anxiety. seungwan quickly begins to strip off her rain jacket, murmuring, “hyun, it’s wannie. i’m going to touch you now, okay?”

she receives no reply, but a feeble whimper spills from joohyun as seungwan drapes the jacket around her shoulders, gently moving her out of her crouched position. her eyes are squeezed shut, and her lips are turning blue; she’s a concerningly paler shade. her arms are freezing as seungwan carefully guides them into the jacket sleeves before zipping it up, pulling the hood over joohyun’s rain-matted hair and ears a moment later. then she wraps joohyun up in a close hug, the hybrid immediately slumping into her hold. 

“you’re okay, baby, i’ve got you,” seungwan soothes, feeling joohyun hiccup weakly against her shoulder. without her jacket, seungwan is rapidly growing colder as well, but she ignores it in favor of letting joohyun burrow as close to her chest as possible, cooing softly and rubbing her back. her other hand fishes her phone out of her pocket, quickly dialing in a number.

her dad picks up after the second ring, sounding slightly out of breath as he greets her. “i found her,” seungwan says, hearing him sigh in relief. “we’re by the hardware store in town, do you think you can pick us up?” 

he murmurs an affirmation. “text me your coordinates. i’ll get going now.” 

they say goodbye before seungwan hangs up and proceeds to do as told, receiving a thumbs up from him a minute later. the whole while, joohyun continues to shiver in her arms, curled into her and sniffling wetly. seungwan lightly scratches the back of her head through the hood, then carefully sits down on the ground, guiding joohyun to settle in her lap. 

while waiting, she inspects joohyun’s feet, sucking in a breath at how grimey and scratched up they are; she can’t imagine the kind of pain joohyun must be in from running through the rain barefoot. her hands are gentle as they cradle delicate ankles, soothingly kneading the cold skin there as joohyun flinches for a moment before relaxing, mewling into her collarbone and clutching tightly onto her shirt. 

the next few minutes pass by quietly, the both of them huddled together for warmth while listening to the steady drumming of the rain around them. upon hearing joohyun sneeze, seungwan pulls her in closer, tucking her head into the crook of seungwan’s neck. she glances worriedly at the time on her phone, silently begging her dad to hurry.

he does arrive a bit later, a familiar car slowing to a stop at the curb by the alley. as her dad clamors out and rushes over, seungwan gently tries to coax joohyun away from her chest, only to wince when joohyun digs her nails into her and refuses to budge. “just for a second, hyun, i can’t stand up while carrying you,” seungwan says, pained. she knows joohyun isn’t comfortable with anyone picking her up except seungwan.

there’s a long, heavy pause where joohyun doesn’t move, but then her grip on seungwan slowly slackens. carefully, murmuring a quiet apology, mr. son leans down and takes joohyun from her hold, the hybrid immediately letting out an anxious whimper. seungwan scrambles to her feet though, and a moment later joohyun is passed back into her arms, trembling and sniffling into her shoulder. soothingly, seungwan presses a kiss to the side of her head, carrying them to the car.

the interior is comfortably heated on the ride home, yet joohyun continues to sneeze and cough against seungwan’s side. seungwan can only hug her close and rub her shoulder soothingly, her other hand enveloping both of joohyun’s icy ones, trying to transfer warmth into them. in the rear view mirror, she meets her dad’s eyes as he briefly glances back at them. 

“the bathtub is filled with hot water, and i left spare clothes on the counter. you know where the first aid kit is,” he says.

“i do,” seungwan answers with a nod. “thanks, dad.”

his gaze slides over to joohyun, obviously warm with affection, before returning back to the front. “she’ll be fine,” he adds gently. 

seungwan sags in her seat, releasing a heavy breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “yeah,” she agrees tiredly.

when they arrive back home, her dad parks inside the garage as seungwan climbs out, then carefully unbuckles joohyun’s seatbelt and gathers her into her arms. joohyun’s eyes are still closed, and her breathing is weak and strained as seungwan carries her into the house.

once inside the bathroom, seungwan shuts the door behind her and gently places joohyun down on the toilet seat lid. as her dad had said, the bathtub is already filled, the water still sufficiently heated when seungwan experimentally dips a finger into it. “hyun,” seungwan says softly, squeezing her hand. “i’m going to help you take your clothes off so i can bathe you, okay?”

joohyun’s eyes flit open for the first time, heavy with fatigue. there’s a feverish, hazy look reflected in them, and seungwan feels her stomach lurch uneasily at how ill she appears, but she looks at seungwan for a tentative moment before faintly nodding. 

her rain jacket is easy to remove, but beneath it, joohyun’s own clothes are wet and heavily stuck to her skin; seungwan has to spend a bit more time on peeling joohyun’s shirt and underclothes over her head, quickly followed by her leggings and underwear. she takes care to not linger her eyes anywhere for too long, helping guide joohyun into the bathtub as the hybrid begins to shiver from the chill. 

“watch your feet, hyunnie,” seungwan reminds her, guiding joohyun to dip her legs in first as she flinches and hisses quietly. a small sigh of relief leaves her a moment later once joohyun completely submerges her body, relaxing in the water, her eyelids fluttering shut in contentment. seungwan, kneeling beside the tub, gently shifts joohyun to face away from her so she can begin washing her hair.

she massages shampoo into joohyun’s dark tresses, carefully avoiding her drooped bunny ears the whole while. joohyun’s breathing has already calmed, and shivers no longer wrack her small frame, much to seungwan’s relief. aside from occasional soft huffs and sighs, her ears twitching in pleasure, the bathroom is quiet as seungwan finishes soaking her hair in water.

she gently cradles joohyun’s wrist in her hand next, raising it above the water so she can run the soap bar over her skin. the same process repeats for joohyun’s other arm, then her upper back and shoulders. for her torso, seungwan coaxes joohyun to surface from the water so she can scrub over where needed, moving as quickly as possible to avoid causing joohyun discomfort. “sorry about this, hyun,” she adds softly, but joohyun only exhales, seeming undisturbed, pliant and relaxed beneath her hands. 

lastly are the injuries on joohyun’s feet; seungwan has her turn around in the tub so her ankles can rest on the edge of the tub, feet hanging out. now clean of dirt and grime, seungwan can see that the cuts are all fortunately shallow. she gently pats them dry with a towel before grabbing the first aid kit, dabbing ointment onto each injury and finishing up by wrapping them in gauze. 

“okay, we’re done,” seungwan says happily, scooping joohyun out of the tub by her armpits, the hybrid mewling quietly in response. she places her gingerly on her bandaged feet, steadying joohyun where she wobbles shakily, before swiftly wrapping her up in a towel, then helps sit her on the toilet seat so she can dry her hair with another.

as for her bunny ears, seungwan gently runs over them with a damp cloth, feeling joohyun almost immediately shudder and slump into her chest at the attention, sensitive as ever. seungwan gives her an extra little rub around the bases of them, just to hear her squeak helplessly with pleasure.

seeing as joohyun is still too weak to change on her own, seungwan helps her into her underwear, quickly followed by her sleep shirt and pants. under the light from the bathroom, she takes notice of how the color has returned to joohyun’s cheeks, though she still appears sick and woozy, eyelids heavy and demeanor too disoriented.

joohyun’s hands reach out for her with a soft whine then, and she snaps out of her thoughts to swaddle her up, this time in a purple blanket, before picking her up and carrying her out of the bathroom.

when seungwan enters the living room, she sees her dad seated at the kitchen table, a steaming bowl of soup and two cups of hot chocolate placed before him. he gestures her to take a seat, and with joohyun still curled against her, breathing drowsily into her neck, seungwan carefully settles down across from him.

“hyunnie, dad made some soup for you,” she says gently, coaxing joohyun to blearily peek out from where she’s tucked against. a small whimper leaves her lips, and seungwan’s gaze softens. she must be exhausted, seungwan thinks, giving joohyun a comforting scratch behind her ears. “can you try a little bit, hyun? for dad and me.” on the other side of the table, mr. son gives her an encouraging smile.

reluctantly, joohyun opens her mouth. seungwan feeds her a few spoonfuls of soup then, cooing softly as she obediently swallows it all. a bit of strength seems to gradually return to joohyun with each spoonful, much to seungwan’s relief, until the hybrid is hungrily seeking out more of the soup, whining in distress whenever she’s too slow in feeding her.

she squirms in seungwan’s hold as well, but bundled too securely up in her blanket, joohyun ultimately isn’t able to do much, eventually caving in to the warmth and comfort once again. 

after finishing the soup, much to joohyun’s obvious disappointment and mr. son’s resulting pleased but also amused look, seungwan blows into one of the cups of hot chocolate before gingerly holding it to joohyun’s lips. 

she sniffs at it curiously, and upon instantly realizing what it is, joohyun eagerly leans forward to drink. seungwan has to chuckle at her evident delight, gently petting her ears and reminding her to sip slowly. 

by the time joohyun drains the entire cup, her eyes are sleepily drooped and she’s snuffling faintly, turning to press her face back into seungwan’s neck with a low mewl. seungwan raises a hand to her head, rubbing soothingly along the base of her bunny ears as they quiver and flop limply at her touch. she can feel the way joohyun goes boneless in her arms, quietly squeaking and sighing until eventually she succumbs to both the pleasing sensation and her own exhaustion, falling asleep. 

after a few moments of listening to joohyun’s even breathing, seungwan picks up the remaining cup of hot chocolate, taking a long sip before exhaling heavily. she’s worn out, and making eye contact with her dad, she can see that he is as well. 

“you’ll tuck her in?” he asks softly, nodding toward the dozing bundle in her lap. at seungwan’s affirmative answer, he gives her a proud smile. “are you hungry? there’s more soup.” 

seungwan slowly shakes her head. “i’m good, dad. this is enough for me,” she says, raising the cup in her hand before drinking from it again.

her dad nods, murmuring a quiet “all right.”

a comfortable silence falls upon them as seungwan slowly finishes her drink, feeling more relaxed and at ease, especially with the way joohyun is nestled in her hold, warm and cozy against her. she takes her time, even as she can feel herself growing a bit drowsy as well. “what happened in the kitchen?” she asks eventually, taking another sip. 

her dad looks sheepish, clearly guilt-ridden. “i left the stove on high instead of turning it off. the cast iron pan cracked.” 

seungwan bites her lip, watching the way her dad wearily rubs at his eyes. the lightbulb in the kitchen had died, and so her dad had enlisted seungwan to help him go find a replacement one in the garage. while they were gone, there must have been oil in the cracked pan that caused the fire and smoke. knowing her dad will want to avoid discussing the problem as he reflects on it himself, seungwan doesn’t push the subject.

when she’s done with her drink, her dad gestures for her to go. “i’ll clean up and wait for mom to come home. bring joohyun to bed, and go to sleep too.”

keeping joohyun tucked securely close to her chest, seungwan carefully gets to her feet, nodding. “i will. thanks, dad. good night.” 

with an answering goodbye from him, seungwan pads off toward the hallway, the hybrid cradled in her arms breathing quietly against her collarbone. 

—

her head feels dizzy with nausea and stuffiness as joohyun is slowly dragged into consciousness. through the dull throbbing in her skull, the first thing she grows aware of is the warmth she’s enveloped in, both too much and too little at the same time. conflicted, joohyun stirs weakly, cracking her eyes open before quickly shutting them again when her vision swims before her.

lying still for a moment, joohyun begins to notice the gentle rise and fall of the softness she’s pressed against, ears twitching as the quiet breathing of seungwan becomes apparent above her. she’s cradled to her chest, seungwan’s arms wrapped around her, the both of them tangled together beneath joohyun’s own blankets. 

the pleasant calmness that had settled inside her is abruptly shaken by a rattling cough, joohyun’s eyes watering up. sniffling wetly, joohyun begins to slowly push away from seungwan, her arms trembling with effort as she struggles to move. 

she doesn’t realize seungwan has stirred awake, too busy trying to hold back her tears. “hyun,” she hears seungwan croak hoarsely, and her wrist is gently cradled in a warm hand. “is something wrong? do you want to throw up?”

another coughing fit takes over joohyun before she can respond, and joohyun blindly kicks out, backing further away on the bed as she covers her mouth with her sleeve. remorse floods through her when her feet make contact with seungwan, hearing her suck in a breath at the impact.

“i’m sorry,” is all seungwan whispers. even without seeing, joohyun knows the room is dark, hushed as they face one another on opposite sides of the bed. “i thought you’d feel . . . it would feel nicer to not sleep alone. i’m sorry. i—do you want me to go?” 

her head hurts, and every limb in her body burns and aches. joohyun presses a shaky hand to her own chest, then gestures vaguely in seungwan’s direction. “sick,” she rasps weakly. silently, she begins to cry, trembling. 

there’s a shaky, watery exhale from across the room, and then she feels the bed dip. a moment later, joohyun feels herself being lifted up and settled in seungwan’s lap, against her chest. a choked sob leaves her as joohyun lets her back be gently rubbed, too tired to move any longer. 

after a few minutes, seungwan carefully eases her away from her chest, using tissues from the nearby nightstand to dab at her cheeks. she grabs the glass of water and tablets lying adjacent to the container. “let me help you take your medicine, hyun,” seungwan says softly. 

joohyun can only sniffle and let seungwan tilt her head back, guiding the glass to her lips until she swallows the pills down with water. when she’s finished, seungwan pulls her back in again, tucking joohyun close to her neck.

she feels the blankets being pulled up around her and enveloping the both of them in their comfort, drawing a tired, sleepy sigh from her as she melts into the warmth.

it’s quiet for a beat, and then joohyun feels the base of her ears being gently rubbed, causing a pleasant tingle to shoot down her spine as she shudders and goes pliant in her arms. “i know you don’t want me to get sick,” seungwan speaks up at last, voice low and soothing. “and i know you feel guilty for what happened. but that wasn’t your fault at all, okay? there’s nothing to be sorry for, hyunnie. and i’m not going to leave you alone.”

her eyes feel heavy with fatigue. the combined pleasant sensations of the light petting of her ears and the vibration of seungwan’s voice against her are slowly lulling her to sleep. she mewls quietly with each touch, finally calming as seungwan’s words settle in her. 

“i’ve got you, baby, you’re okay. just sleep now. i’ll be here when you wake up.”

**Author's Note:**

> this has been changed to a collection of things i write for my hybrid au. prompts for this au can be submitted on my tumblr.  
> thank you for your support everyone! i hope you enjoy.  
> tumblr: @irwen-s  
> twitter: @irwen_s
> 
> notice: chapters are not in the au's chronological order; they are written based on the prompts i am given.


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